about

"Deep Sea Cavalry have this giant audible body of parts sounding like They Might Be Giants on one arm, The Airborne Toxic Event on the other, and then if you peek under their kilt you will notice that their testicles are equal parts Gogol Bordello and WhiskyCats."
--SYFFAL.com--

"Their brand of indie folk-rock paints shades of Mumford and Sons-esque Americana, yet with a style all their own. ... Mixing the abstract with philosophical prose, the lyrics can be imaginative and inspiring in the same breath. Brad Wray’s writing shines on the release, as does the musicianship of the entire band. Multi-instrumentalist Hensley adds a distinct touch to the album’s texture, playing bass, keys, and clarinet among other instruments.... Some tracks sound reminiscent of a traditional Celtic drinking song, before distortion and unforeseen changes turn the song into something modern and unique, rocking full steam ahead while tipping the proverbial hat to Irish antiquity."
--Baltimore Examiner--

"On one level you can take Deep Sea Cavalry's album as though it is written as a philosophical position paper (e.g. Thesis Statement) which investigates the inner battle that we call the self. On another more surface level, however, the album is simply 15 highly palatable indie-rock anthems. Or more simply, this album reminds me of what would have happened if Bob Mould was born in Ireland and turned on the lo-fi button. I love this record."
--Mat Leffler-Schulman, Mobtown Studios--

discography

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They say “These works of art
can't build your Noah's ark
or drain away the flood or brighten the dark
so you might as well give in.”
Well yes sir I see,
certainly what they must mean,
but me and you and us and them are free,
to just sit and stare... cause we don't care.

You search for enough, finding it rough...
for the sake of the sea... you're tryin' to drown me.
So it'll be in this here hierarchy,
climbing downward escalators stepping through the soothsayers...

who've been blown apart.
"Bring out your dead to the horse-drawn cart."
But no sir we're in some sort of Noah's ark
looking close for mountains in the sea.
We hope they're there and you're wrong,
and nothing like all these here siren songs,
filling ears with fear and we just don't belong
to your barbarian horde... it just makes us bored.

Track Name: But Then But Then...

“Left right left right
except for wrong n' right
keep on keep on marching!
Dole que don't step on my shoe
give us more then we'll lock the door
progress forward progress forward.
shut your mouth now don't you say a word
dogma is our mantra have you heard?”

But then but then it cries out “don't leave me behind!”
“how'd you how'd you become so oh so so unkind?”

“wake up wake up the clocks will run
the trains will come the rain will fall
wake up wake up the stocks will rise
the pains will numb the winds will blow”

but you say “Stop go, stop go
divide it up and parse and show
hide it from them hide it from all them
don't ask we will tell
rest assured you will be compelled
to listen closely do what you're told
if you don't listen you'll be bought and sold
do what I say you'll be worth your weight in gold.”

Track Name: Before Your Ears

There are words you cannot hear
they fall apart before your ears
disintegrating complicating things.
If they would reach your ears for hearing
then I'd be understood more clearly
but they ricochet, they're ones of love and hate
you'll have to guess which.

Whats become of the words I've spoken
found wanting or lost in the open?
The five senses seem to leave us needing
yet this is all we have.

There's no closure for us to have
no bold convictions that won't drive me mad
for brevity's sake and for give and take I should just quit.
But there are folks who'll listen so closely
and pad my walls to keep my head from exploding
so why can't I be satisfied with them and not you.

What exactly do we want to be hearing
grinding gear or the crowds a cheering?
The five senses seem to have left us needing
but this is all we have.

Track Name: Elephant Barricade

Changes of the harshest fastest kind
came sweeping through our lives with an engraved invite.
So coat all the fixtures gilded gold and be so sure
to sell yourself and call it breaking molds.
Wasted time within your clutches,
undermined by bombs in bunches,
miles high they explode it all away.
Cause you saw me with bells a ringing,
now you see red and I am singing,
the bees of life are softly stinging you.

Somewhere we will not be afraid.
Somewhere there are words left to be said.
Under the elephant barricade
in the middle of the room it seems his bed is made.

Open up the world we go into
it is not the same one as for me as it is for you.
Yours is one of need and mood and plight
it rings of flowers blossoming and dieing in the night.
Wasted time within your clutches,
undermined by bombs in bunches,
miles high they explode it all away,
You saw me with bells a ringing,
now you see red and I am singing,
the bees of life are softly stinging you.

Track Name: Robber Barons

I took on the weight of the world;
bucklin' my knockin' knees.
The least of these put my arms unfurled
but it came down and crushed me.
I took on the hateful big man;
bosses which control you.
Fickle and splitting those hairs
he raised himself to lower you.

Was it the weight of the least of these
or my willingness or my energies?
Was it the inner folk's talk that stopped
or the weight of the shame that I could give no more?

I fell from a foothold so high;
tumbling down hierarchies.
The bottom soon impeded my flight,
how it deaf dumb and blinded me.
At the top of that was a robber baron,
at the bottom was the people.
He don't see and he don't even care
how he don't believe he's evil.

Track Name: Clocks Ticking

Clocks ticking in the night
as we are thinking time is ticking.
Clocks ticking on our boat
we all start drinking as we are sinking.
Clocks ticking in our minds
about our lives we've tried and tried.
Stop tricking me to try and fail. Oh why oh why oh why?
Rocks rolling avalanching
as we stare blankly time is passing.
Rocks smashing blood is gashing
all the while I look dashing.
Where rocks they fall people are massing
huddled grasping soon to die.
Crashing right into our eyes
as we are blind. Oh why oh why?

When the world sank out from under
and the sea cried why oh why?
We let go of all our plunder
and let oceans steal our sight.

Underneath and overhead
these crowns keep floating off our heads.
We ignore all of what was said
with hopes we shall be heard instead.
And when the sinking day is done
we have learned nothing not a one
for what purpose has this race been run,
it's all in vain.

Track Name: Wellspring

Falling down a well.
Is it a wishing well? It seems
to be as deep oh deep oh as I keep
just a sinking through the air.
Is it some great oh great abyss?
Or some sort of place to place your wish?
Oh man oh man oh day oh either way I hope I found out when I'm there.

Falling or flying? I'm trying to know the difference.
On the way down, look what I've found,
all those things that we want
here's where they went to.

Then there came a flood
all up from up from underneath.
It hit me in the face
and put me in my place
a place way up from way down here.
It turned into a spring
I'm wondering what love it will bring
what can it can it be?
I can't wait and see
I hope I know it when it's here.

Track Name: The Quickness

Subtle ways have fallen through.
The skyscrapers have fallen too.
Feel the difference as we witness
how that wicked witch has hindranced me and you.
Call forth the forced sad goodbyes.
Call back your dogs and so will I.
And tightly to the quickness
filling voids of unknown thickness we will bind.
All underneath the labyrinth
of our wicked ways we have this thing that shines.
It's all moldy and forsaken
but it cannot be mistaken just for spite.

Sordid pasts will fall away
with knockin' doors at ends of days.
And probably our hatred'll
get enveloped by the waiting it'll fade.
Meaning this is meaningless.
What the hell is the point of this?
Oh, it's all for the point of prowess,
how they see us. Oh yeah how could we forget?
And these actions overtake us
later on they rightly break us with regret.
We're just wasting our emotions
with these vague and listless motions of our fists.

Track Name: Humble Down Homunculus

As the self it questions,
“Who the hell are we here?
Half of us, might be pirate scoundrels
whom we ignore and blame yet fear.
Persuading us with their hooks and sabers
won't we 'just join their side?'
but we feel that we don't belong here
as though we are the real traitors and spies.”

Highs and lows highs and lows highs and lows highs and lows!
Right and wrong right and wrong right and wrong right and wrong!
Humble down homunculous or we all will die just a meaningless death.
A meaningless life you've so far lead...
cause if you think you're the king, you'll end up dead.

And the sea got rough then
it came over our ship's sides.
Our little room took on water
and then split open wide.
And we grabbed ahold then
of all those pieces of the prow.
Thank God we floated onward
while all our pirates drowned.

Track Name: Dinner Bell

But this is not your dinner bell!
This is not your green pocket lining.
It doesn't even wish you well
but it's new...and it's beautiful.
It will breath when you exhale.
It will make up for your misgivings.
It is not something that is for sale
but it's right...and you should leave it well alone!

And when the time it will come
this here thing will grow larger.
At that point we succumb
to the hatreds of our fathers.
We'll adopt and ascend
to all the things they before despised,
and ridicule all of them
who dare question our meteoric rise.

This might be your stick or carrot
it could be your wanting or wanted
but it and you will never fail
you have merged... and it's curious.
Latching on and looking in
in it we see our setting sun rising.
We see we've shrunk while it has so grown
oh no! We should have left it well alone!

And when the time it will come
this here thing will not need us.
At that point we'll succumb
and beg for it to feed us.
We'll adopt and ascend
to all the things we before despised,
and ridicule all of them
who dare point out our waxing waning ever changing tide.

Track Name: It's Seeds We Sow

Somehow it creeps and rolls,
however never we shall know.
The ways it grows,
so brief yet slow,
from underneath it's seeds we sow.
Warn me when I start to cease to be
all on bended knee asking it to marry me.
See it soon it it's bright and grand heyday.
It plans to take our lives away
but says, “oh don't you dare dismay.”
While stuttering we pray
that we might build towers to the sky.
All Babeling combine we try
to escape its hands at our demise
we wait and soon we then comply.

Track Name: Storms

Storms await, beckoning important
forms on clouds who are of the sort
who rain in the night
crying down their very essence to the ground,
which becomes proud
of attention paid as liquid lays upon its brow.
Soaked into the fields of sorghum
stolen away from the surface now,
they trickle down
getting to the roots of world building growth.
And then it grows,
and the stems upward and breathing become exposed.
While the mystery leaks through pipes that creak and moan
we are not sleeping soundly or alone.

And my oh my how it this exploding
come to think might it grow a soul
that sings and projects
filling up the hearts of many beacons shine
causing to blind
all those who hide their hearts inside their minds.
And where are we while this would be happening?
Huddled together in the bus stop cold,
the gray of the sky
splitting open for that trumpet bearers call.
Come one and all
see how your unknown weapons have caused this all!
While the mystery becomes writing on bathroom stalls
we are not sleeping soundly or at all.

Track Name: Thunderclaps

Oh an how the thunderclaps
they paint the world with sound.
They came across as though they would come down,
but rest assured they have no home here on the ground.
And thrust as though,
as though you would become the bane of some,
just as fickle means reap sickly beans from guns.
Shootin' upward buryin' bullets in the crown.
This storm has whipped up something from on down.
And we're shrinkin' as it's growing strong and stout
Yes sir, it's taken hold of what we've done without!

Oh what's that raining sound of opening eyes of ears that found
the voices all a growing lifting upwards all around?
How meddling these with collars showing blowing with the breeze!
How steadying they find dollars rowing upward with the stream!

They'll thrust in vain,
Oh from the depths paid women wept and prayed.
Top hatted men in cigar dens oh they,
they sign the checks in hopes the storms their pockets pay.
But work needs done,
just to buy the facts and sell them back to us. It's just
a roulette wheel that spins and lands as we fuss
over how we use the thunder as our crutch.
You see we see things as right and wrong and such,
but they see it as plus and minus plus.
Yes sir, they'll buy us and sell us right back to us.

Track Name: Verisimilitude

Where in the world is this coming from?
where in the world will it go? I don't know.
What's this chariot swinging for
Where will our spinning wheels roll? I don't know.
Where are the saints all going to
marching in those neat rows in the clouds?
They're bringin' the whole thing down.
Locked all away goes everything,
shut in an shut out by the avalanche.
Mother nature will hold our hand no more.

The world lost its verisimilitude
and we lost our minds and way in the snow, in the snow.
How's this epoch here possible
where will it wind and stray where will it go, where will it go?
The wind shapes the day here anymore
all the why hows and what fors are at its beckon call,
as on our heads it falls.
Deep you can keep your cold and gray
bring up your warm and green from underneath
and take this blizzard of yours away.

Track Name: Someday

This living breathing thing it calls itself our own
in our sleepless nights though our rapid eyes
they seem to deny.
But wait aren't there two of us inside this one one wondering
what's in our heads and what have we meant?
While one thought one said,

“Someday, I'll get my hooks into you
from my lonely little room.
This is me waking up I presume
'cause when I went to bed I was you.”
There's one way, to grow out of yourself
it's growing into someone else.
The you in there becomes them
when the them puts the you to end.

This living breathing thing it calls itself our own
in our sleepless nights though our rapid eyes
they seem to deny.
But wait aren't there two of us inside this one one wondering
what's in our heads and what have we meant?
While one thought the other said,

“But changing is just the inner working parts of the same
going under a different name.
It ain't much different 'tween what ya think and what ya say
About areas of black and white and those shades of gray.

Somehow those things worth knowin' remain unknown
staying hidden all as we grow.
They will hide right behind our eyes
where we so seldom look, down there inside.

This living breathing thing it calls itself our own
in our sleepless nights though our rapid eyes
they seem to deny.
But wait aren't there two of us inside this one one wondering.
what's in our heads and what have we meant?
While one thought the other said, “Oh.”